


The burden we can't erase

by orphan_account



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Angst, Drama, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Fluff, Friendship, Romance, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-11 06:00:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28466451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: No Storm. No Time Powers. Max is the new transfer student at Blackwell Academy. She came here for one reason: World famous art teacher, Jeffrey Watts. Armed with hunger to learn, paired with the Excitement of moving to an entirely new town, Max is ready to take Arcadia Bay by storm. The instance she steps into her art class, the brunette spots something blue in the corner of her eye. Max sits herself down in the only free chair, right next to the charismatic, beautiful, mesmerizing blue haired punk, not knowing that this girl would turn her life upside down.Among all of this, Max keeps a dark secret that only she knows about...
Relationships: Maxine "Max" Caulfield/Chloe Price, Victoria Chase/Kate Marsh
Comments: 1
Kudos: 19





	1. Transfer Student Max Caulfield!

_They say it takes 10,000 hours to get really good at something. No, no, wait. That's not it. It was something like 'There are 10,000 bad drawings in you, before you get to the good ones'... I mean, both make sense. It's probably a healthy mix of both. Yeah. Both._

_Fuck I'm nervous._

"..ax? Max!"

"Huh?"

"Your head's always in the clouds like this, sweety. You should pay attention when people talk to you about these things." the woman criticizes while keeping her eyes fixed on the road. "We're almost there, Max. You excited?" she followed up right after, illuminated by the soft golden hour lighting, with a beach scene in the back. The salty scent of the sea in the air makes Max inhale sharply with her nose, exhaling with her eyes closed tightly, creating tiny wrinkles on the side.

"Sorry Mom. I am though! Really excited actually. And nervous as hell.. I mean It's Jeffrey Watts mother! Jeff Watts will be my art teacher!" the brunette turns towards her mother, grinning widely while lightly pulling on her cheeks to make sure she isn't dreaming.

_Ouch!_

Vanessa giggled, amused and delighted by her daughters enthusiasm. "I'm glad you're so excited. I still can't believe he's teaching there, right Ryan?" she added. "Yeah! It's freakin' awesome, right Max??" the Irish man boomed, waiting for a high five from his daughter.

"Hell yeah!" Max responds, clapping her fathers hand with gusto. Max lifts her chin up, crossing her arms, still smiling with a huge grin.

"I talked so much about him in the past few months, you must be sick of hearing his name!"

Vanessa chuckled. "Yeeeah. But that's okay. We're just really excited you found your passion so early, and you get one of the best artists in the world as a teacher on top? That IS awesome." She emphasized the 'is' with a look in the rear mirror.

"You did your research" Max answered, raising one eyebrow with a smirk. "Of course sweetie. We care about your life." Max glanced back and forth between her parents and felt a warm feeling gushing from her belly.

"D'awww, thanks you guys..I care about you too!"

"Max, this is the opportunity of a lifetime. Don't screw it up!" Ryan added with a hearty laugh, turning to max in the most hilarious way possible. Max shook her head in amusement. "You're such a dork, Pop." Her dad smirked.

"That he is," Vanessa pat on her husband's thigh. "Wait, I think this is it." she followed up.

Max tried to find the best angle to get a look at the building, the car pulling up into the parking lot. It's been a while since she had this very mushy but specifically familiar feeling in her stomach that one gets from a healthy mix of excitement, and fear. The brunette briefly opens her sketchbook, looking for comfort in her most recent Bridgman studies.

_Argh! Someday I'm going to decipher you, Bridgman! Just you wait!_

The family steps out of the car, Max looks around the parking lot immediately spotting an RV and a rusty old truck, both standing out like a sore thumb.

_Jeez.. What Teacher would drive something like.. **that**?_

"Look Max! A squirrel." her mother points at the stone wall that seems to lead into a small forest part, opposite of the school. Max's Dad just rolled his eyes in amusement. "Come on you two Tourists. We don't want to be late." Ryan huffs, heaving two big bags and a relatively small drawing easel out of the car.

"That's so cute!" Max squeals.

_No time to draw it right now, Max! Focus!_

She rushes towards the back of the car. "Let me help you with that, Pop." The brunette fumbles with her shoulder bag, so she can carry something at the front. "No need, sweetie. Just close the trunk for me?"

"Yes Sir!" She answers with a teeth showing smile. "But If you throw out your Back, I will definitely say told you so!" The brunette snarks, visually skipping a little.

Vanessa stifles a laugh, carrying Max's leftover things. "I hope not! I still need that sexy Back to move furniture later." "Heh!" Ryan shoots back, walking ahead of the two.

_Typical Mom. I hope we don't talk about this stuff when people walk by._

* * *

They walk across the Campus, briefly stopping at the administration office and other important parts of Max's future Blackwell days, including the dorms. Nothing seems to have changed since her last visit with her parents when they helped moving stuff into her room, leaving the brunette to decorate it on her own.

Max knew that her parents didn't want to meddle with their daughters preferences, like that one time as a kid when her Dad decided to remove a rivaling hockey team's jersey off her wall (BIG NONO!) She appreciated that quite a bit.

Ryan and Vanessa drop off all of Max's stuff in her room, before embracing her in a big family hug which Max tried to drag out as long as possible. "I'm gonna miss you guys soooo much" Max said cheerily. Ryan let out a loud laugh which probably everyone in her dorm heard without a problem. "Alright, alright. We won't stay too long. I know you want to explore the school on your own for a bit." Ryan answered.

 _I mean, it would be nice to get to k_ _now the people I will have to suffer through high school with. But... how?_

"Yes, I'll try to be the best social butterfly ever, Pop"

"That's my girl!" he exclaimed, pumping his fist in agreement.

"Alright you two let's not get too excited, otherwise you'll do something crazy." Vanessa snarks. Ryan looks at her with big eyes. "Liiike...?"

"Liiike... knocking on each door, introducing yourself to Max's classmates." 

"Hahaha! Yeah that would be hilarious, right Max?" Ryan boomed.

_Nope. Funny and hilarious for dad? Yes. Socially annihilating and embarrassing for me? Also Yes._

"Sure Dad, whatever you say," Max snarks, smiling at her upbeat father with rolling her eyes.

Max's mood slightly shifted after she realized she won't be able to see her parents for a long time. Before she could go deeper into thought, she noticed a pair of eyes staring at her from a slightly open door behind her father. The door shuts slowly.

_That... was really weird?_

* * *

After the brunette hugged her parents goodbye for what must have been the fourth time, she flung herself on her bed. The soft lighting of the lantern lights she hung on the wall just above her bed made her rest for a bit, the person staring at her still lingering around her brain matter.

She flung her right hand over her closed eyes.

_Ow. Too hard, Max._

_So this is it, huh... Now my Blackwell adventure officially begins. I can't believe I got in!_

A big smile crept up on the corner of her mouth.

 _Wait._ She thought. _What was that creepy stare from the other side of the hall about?_

_Should I knock and just, like... ask?_

Max was overcome with a very strong drive to be bold and take her new life at Blackwell by the horns.

_**Bzzzt** _

Max jumped, startled by her phone.

_What? Don't tell me Mom already misses me. OR Dad. They can't go one minute withou-_

"Oh..."

...

"Your free hulu trial will end in 2 days, click here to choose a plan."

The brunette sighed, put her phone back into her pocket and grabbed the door handle without overthinking too much.

_Whatever._

Max knew the text distracted her enough to not worry about all of the probably very socially awkward things she will have to go through in the next 60 seconds, and that she is very thankful for.

As soon as she closed her own door, she could very clearly hear loud pop music coming from the door in front of her. The sounds are kind of intimidating to listen to, since she's so used to listening to stuff like 'Until we get there' by Lucius, or anything from Gregory and the Hawk & Bright Eyes, just to name a few.

_Man they're awesome. Max thought._

The girl walked up to the door nervously, getting a sinking feeling in her stomach.

She knocks three times.

...

_Did they not hear it over the music?_

Suddenly, the music stopped.

_Oh shit, here we go._

The door flies open, creating a small gust of wind which Max notices only slightly. In front of her stands a slim, beautiful blonde girl, covered in what Max assumes must be expensive jewelry and even more expensive clothing. Upon taking a look at the brunette's clothes, the other girl furrows her brows.

_Already off to a great start!_

"And you are..?" The blonde said, harboring a slightly annoyed tone in her voice.

"I-I'm Max Caulfield. I'm the new transfer student and just wanted to say hi to-" "Great. Hi. Anything else?" The pixie haired girl answered, cutting Max off without a second thought.

_Wow Max, you chose the rudest girl to start things off with first. Wait. Please let the other girls be nicer than her, please!_

This wasn't the first time Max had experience with bullies, or getting bullied. She knew their type and could tell almost instantly who was one and who wasn't. Not once was her instinct wrong in that regard, and this time wouldn't be different, she thought. Still, she learned It's better to try to be friendly towards rude people anyways, which worked quite well for her in her old town. Well, except for that one time where Max decided to stand up to one bully, and broke that persons nose on accident.

_Let's not repeat that event again, Max. Ever._

"Right.. What's your name?"

"..." "Victoria Chase."

"Oh! Chase, as in Chase Space?"

"Yeah?"

"Wow! That's a pretty famous Art Gallery, really cool! It's nice to have some high profile people in class." Max said with an almost too convincing look, which made the blonde unfold her crossed arms.

"Obviously. You can't really call the other people 'artists' anyways. More like 'dabblers' like Jeff would say." Victoria said, rolling her eyes with a clear disgust in her voice at the word 'dabblers'.

_Ouch, that's harsh._

"I see.. Well, I still have to introduce myself to some other people, so gotta go, but It was nice meeting you. Maybe I can see some of your work sometime?" Max answered, hoping to receive a positive answer from Victoria.

"My work? Sure, but only If you show me yours first," the blonde answered with a cold undertone.

"Awesome! Then It's a deal. Talk to you later, Victoria!" Max turned to her right, preparing herself to talk to her next future classmate.

"You should be careful with that one. She's... a lot of work," Victoria almost shouted, making Max jump slightly.

"T-Thanks." Max answered with wide eyes.

_Uhh... That's not a good sign, right? And did she actually wanted them to hear what she said? Wow._

Victoria closed her door swiftly after giving Max one last slightly judgemental look from bottom to top.

_But considering everything, this didn't go so badly. Could've been worse! One down Max, five to go? or.. how.. many...Whatever._

She knocks on the door on the far right of the hallway, right next to Victoria Chase's dorm room. The plate says " **Chloe Price** ".

_Huh. Cool name._

She waits a few seconds. No answer.

Max leans in just enough to not look like a suspicious stalker, turning her head so that she could pay attention to more delicate noises.

_Still nothing. Hmm.. Oh well, I'm sure I'll be meeting her soon enough._

Max walked past Victoria's room, now again hearing the loud pop music blasting through the door.

She knocked on the door left to Victoria's, while reading the Name plate, holding her belongings tight to her chest.

_" **Kate Marsh** " _

The door opens in a slow, but controlled manner, revealing a petite brunette in a black cardigan over a white buttoned up shirt. Her hair put up in a neat bun, with a cross necklace sitting right under her collarbone.

_So. Pretty. God!_

"Hi," Max said, giving the girl a smile and a half hearted wave which looked kinda insecure.

The brunette smiled back almost immediately, beaming with enthusiasm. "Oh, Hello," she said, putting her hand up without waving and rubbing her fingers together briefly.

"I'm not sure we had the pleasure yet.." the brunette followed up.

_She's cute_

Max laughed. "No, we've not yet met. I'm Max, the new transfer student. I'll be your classmate starting tomorrow," Max answered with a genuine smile on her face.

"Ohh! How delightful. I'm Kate. Kate Marsh. It's a pleasure to meet you Max," Kate said, reaching out her hand to Max.

Max took her delicate hand, and immediately noticed how soft it is.

"Nice to meet you too," Max said, while shaking Kate's hand almost cautiously like Kate is made of glass, or something similar that might break If you squeeze it too hard.

"So.. your neighbor is quite a.. handful, huh?" Max pointed out with a slight sneer in her voice.

Kate's genuine smile turned into a more strained one. Almost forced, she looked down onto her feet.

"Oh, you mean Victoria.. Yeah, she can be.. a lot sometimes," Kate said, trying her seemingly best to spurt the sentence out as neutrally as possible.

_Well, that's not good. I hope everything is alright with her._

"Is everything alright?" Max asked her, making her thoughts known.

Kate looked up in surprise.

"Yeah! Of course. I-I'm fine," the girl answered hastily.

"Okay, well I really want to talk to you more, and see some of your stuff too. Talk later?"

"Sure! I would love both of those things. Is it okay If I dare to ask you to show me your drawings too?" Kate replied with a snicker.

"Yes, you can dare me anytime," Max answered, laughing throughout her sentence.

Kate just beemed at her happily.

"Cool! See ya later Max," the brunette said with a half hearted wave.

"Bye Kate," Max anwered, waving back like Kate did at the start of the conversation.

While the door of the very cute, probably religious girl closed, Max already walked towards her next destination.

 _This is going way better than I expected actually._ She thought, her last few steps having more of a spring to them.

She stops in front of the next door, left from Kate's room.

_" **Juliet Watson** ", huh? Alright, let's see who you are, Juliet._

Max reached out her hand to knock, but got distracted by a loud scream coming from a room behind her.

_What the-_

"CHLOE!! GET YOUR BOOTS OFF OF MY FREAKIN' TOP!"

The voice was loud enough to be heard by music blaring Victoria Chase, Max thought. But nobody seemed to really care.

_Does this happen often here?_

"You ruined my Cheerleader top Chloe! Get out! NOW!" The muffled voice demanded sternly.

 _" **Dana Wa** "- _Before Max could finish reading the plate, she got knocked over by someone storming out of the now open door she just walked over to, stumbling onto her butt. Her belongings spreading all over the floor.

"Oww!" Max exclaimed, stretching her back out, and rubbing her head in pain from the impact.

"Fuck!" answered the voice towering in front of her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah.. Just a bit shaken up over here," Max answered, with a pained look on her face and closed eyes.

After she opened her eyes and looked up, she was met with a helping hand from a beautiful, tall girl with blue hair in a beanie. Her right arm was full of tattoos, and her jeans as well as her white sleeveless top were torn up.

_Holy shit, she looks cool as heck._

"T-Thank you," Max said, looking away sheepishly.

"No problemo. I bumped into you, right?" The blue haired girl answered. "So... who're you? I don't think I've seen your artsy butt here before."

Max got wide eyed for a moment, visibly taken off guard by the other girl's choice of words.

"Yeah, that's true. I'm Max. Max Caulfield. Nice to meet you," The brunette said with a nervous laugh, reaching out her hand.

"Max Caulfield! What a great name, I can hella see the pun potential already! I'm Chloe Price, at your service," Chloe said with a comically exaggerated bow, before taking her hand.

_Hella? Who talks like this? Wait... Pun potential?_

"Uh.. Y-Yeah," Max said, struggling to not completely blank out, her face reddened.

The blue haired girl crouched down to the brunette who was now trying to quickly scramble all of her belongings together. "So, Max Caulfield. I know your name now, but I still don't know what you're doing here. You lost or something?" Chloe said with a smile on her face.

Still slightly mesmerized by the beauty and energy coming off of the blue haired punk girl, Max gathered all of her stuff off the floor, including her sketchbook. With each passing second her face resembled more and more the color of the red flyer behind her hanging on one of the many dorm's pin walls. Chloe rested her chin on her hand, and her arm on her right leg. She grinned at Max, who only had eyes for her stuff, but occasionally would look over to check out the punks black boots with curiosity in her eyes.

"Oh; right! Sorry. I-I'm the new transfer studen-" Before Max could even finish her sentence, Chloe gasped in surprise.

"AHA! Max Caulfield! The new Transfer Student!" Chloe exclaimed loudly, hitting her fist into her open palm.

 _Oh man, are you cereal? I bet the whole dorm heard that._ Max thought, wincing.

"Y-Yeah that's me," The brunette answered, nervously.

"I saw your name plate just yesterday, but didn't think much about it. But, gotta say. Your freckles are even cuter than Kate's bun, and that means a lot coming from a Kate admirer like me!" the punk said, while pointing to herself in a proud manner.

 _Kate admirer?.. Wait. She thinks my freckles are cute? What the hell?_ Max's face flushed red.

"I-I.. I'm.. I mean I-.." The brunette stuttered, looking everywhere but into Chloe's eyes.

"Whoa! Too much? Sorry, I'm just testing out the waters here. I didn't mean to embarrass you Max," Chloe said, with a slight laugh in her tone and a smile that Max could have only described as breathtaking.

"Sorry, sometimes I-I'm a bit... I'm not used to getting compliments," Max mumbled back.

Chloe wrinkled her nose, smiling widely at Max.

"That's okay, me neither. This friend of mine, Rachel? She compliments me all the time and I never get used to those either!" Chloe snarked, giggling.

_**Rachel**?_

"That's actually kinda reassuring," Max answered, giggling as well.

_No stutter. Yay me!_

Chloe's gaze wandered down onto Max's bag.

"Hey, I saw you had a book labeled 'sketchbook somethingsomething' earlier when I almost knocked you out cold earlier. Sorry for that by the way," Chloe said, with a curious tone.

"Hah! Yeah, I totally almost saw stars there. No, seriously I'm fine. Apology totally accepted," Max answered hastily.

Chloe grinned at the brunettes response and shot her an amused look. Max noticed, and couldn't help but look away shyly.

"So..."

"Hm?"

"About the Sketchbook..?" Chloe said sheepishly, twisting from side to side with her arms behind her back.

"Oh! Right!" Max answered.

_Shit_

"Uhhh.. I really don't think that's a..- M-Maybe later.. If that's okay with you I mean.." The brunette said, her voice wavering with uncertainty.

Chloe gave the smaller girl a disappointed look, and a clearly exaggerated pout.

_Oh no, she won't.. She couldn't dare.. Not the puppy eyes!_

"Not the puppy eyes!" Max exclaimed desperately, making her thoughts known to the punk girl in front of her.

"Whoa Max! You're hella reading my mind. I did want to bring out the big guns, you know?" Chloe said, her eyebrows raised in genuine surprise.

They both laughed at the obviously silly first conversation they were having, knowing fully well that It's going pretty well after the rather rough encounter just a few minutes ago.

"By the way, who is Rachel?" Max asked daringly.

Chloe's expression changed from a smile, to more of a thoughtful one.

"Hmm... Well, her room is right down the hall, why don't we go and you can meet her in person?"

"I mean.. If we could, that would be pretty cool since I wanted to talk to everyone anyways! I already met Victoria and Kate," Max said.

Chloe groaned and rolled her eyes, her head leaning back and her brows furrowed. "Victoria Chase. The bane of my existence. And Kate's too."

"Wowser! Victoria really build up a rep for herself. Although, can't say that It's quite the positive one..."

"Yeah she's the ice queen around here, and- Wait. Wowser? Who the fuck says that!?" Chloe howls, bending over laughing and holding her stomach.

"Hey! You said hella like three times or something and I didn't say a thing about that!" Max exclaimed, tugging at Chloe's arm with a big open mouthed smile.

"Fuck, my sides. Sorry. Phew. You're right. I'll explain it later, got it from Rachel. I blame her.

They looked at each other, and giggled uncontrollably right after.

Wiping away tears from their eyes, they walked over to Rachel's room and knocked.

Max could hear footsteps coming towards the door.

With one smooth motion, the door opened.

"Chloe? And... Hm?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'The burden we can't erase' - Chapter 2 - Preview:
> 
> **What?? Max thought, almost jumping out of her chair, she gazed forward with wide eyes and her eyebrows raised. Even Chloe, who is usually playing with her phone, was sitting upright and paying full attention to what unfolded in front.**
> 
> **"What do you mean, 'from today onward'?!" Victoria shouted out, visibly angered and shocked.**


	2. New Student Orientation

Max is stunned. She gazes ahead, desperately trying to keep her mouth closed.

_Holy. Shit._

The person in front of her exuded a whole different level of charisma, entirely different even from Victoria. It was intimidating in kind of a threatening way, Max thought. It was way scarier for her than for Chloe, that's for sure. The next few seconds would probably determine If this person was kinda stuck up like Victoria, or more free spirited like Chloe.

_No, wait. This is new. She gives off a vibe of a wild cat or something. Wowser.  
_

Seconds felt like minutes to Max, and the girl in front of her had a mix of a warm, but sly look on her face. The girl was of similar height to Max, but she certainly felt bigger to her. She wore a red top, under a blue and black striped flannel shirt, with slightly torn up jeans, but not as much as Chloe's. Her blonde hair was long and laying perfectly over her collarbone. Max noticed a blue feathered earring on her left ear, and a thick bracelet around her right wrist. She looked fierce, but approachable.

"Chloe? And... Hm? I think we haven't met before, have we?" the blonde said, with a slightly confused look on her face.

Max couldn't open her mouth, no matter how hard she tried. Around two seconds passed, before Chloe chimed in.

"Hey Rachel!" Chloe said cheerily, smiling widely and reaching her fist out for Rachel to bump, which she did like it was natural for both of them.

"Nope! You haven't met yet. This is Max Caulfield, the hella new transfer student. You know? The vacant room down the hall?" Chloe followed up, holding Max's shoulders and rubbing them slightly to calm her down.

Max was startled by the sudden physical interaction with her new punk friend, but she welcomed it given how tense her shoulders had gotten.

_Okay Max, breathe.._

"Yeah, I'm-"

"Ohhh! Max Caulfield, right! It's so nice to finally meet the famous name plate!" Rachel said enthusiastically, interrupting whatever Max wanted to say while grabbing both of the brunette's hands. Chloe just glanced between the two and grinned like a proud mother.

Still visibly overwhelmed with the whole situation, Chloe and Rachel exchanged a look, smiling at each other deviously. Max picked up on this of course, but she didn't know what it meant. Although she always thought of herself as a connoisseur of human nature, Rachel was something else. She seemed to move in an entirely different realm of what Max was usually met with, but she couldn't yet tell If that was a good thing or not.

"Wowser! That was a strong welcome, thank you. Sorry, I just met Chloe recently and I'm a little bit awkward still.." Max said, under a light laughing tone in her voice.

 _God, that sounded totally lame!_ She thought, wincing at her rashly formed sentence.

"Don't worry, you didn't sound lame at all," Rachel snickered back.

_Huh?_

"Huh?" Max answered, wording out her thought without even noticing it.

"Oh, she did it again, didn't she?" Chloe said, rolling her eyes with a grin, playfully tapping Max on the arm with the back of her hand. Rachel just stood there relaxed, with one hand on her hip, accompanied by a shit eating grin.

"Did what?" Max said, oblivious to what Chloe meant.

"Read your mind, dummy! She does it all the time. She picks up on stuff that normal people wouldn't see, and nine times out of ten she'll know what the other person is thinking. That's why she's called 'The Mindreader' around Blackwell. It's totally lame!" Chloe exclaimed. Rachel pushed her slightly taller friend to the side. "Says the queen of studs."

They both laughed, while Max had a sinking feeling in her stomach.

"She... what?"

"See? you spooked her Chloe! Way to make a first impression, dork," Rachel said in a hilariously overacted way.

"Excuse me, drama queen of Blackwell? You're scaring the fucking bejeezus out of this innocent. Cute. Freckled. Girl. And now you want to blame ME? Unbelievable!" Chloe replied with the most fake outrage mimicry she could come up with, holding Max closer to her as the sentence progressed.

"Can you believe her Max?? Outrageous, right?!" Chloe said, amused by her own play. "I think you broke her, Chloe," Rachel said, one eyebrow raised, smiling at Max.

Max was now red as a tomato and almost entirely sunken into herself, her gaze to the ground, she fiddled with her bag strap.

"Y-Yeah, r-right! Outrag... eous.." Max mumbled, the words disappearing at the end.

Chloe and Rachel shot each other another look, but this time it was more of a 'oh my gosh, this girl is adorable' kind of look.

"Hey, don't worry Max. Chloe does that to her fellow classmates all the time. It's a Chloe special to make people uncomfortable," Rachel chimed in in a singsongy way.

"Wha-" Chloe answered, interrupting herself and putting on her best pouting expression. Rachel chuckled.

"So, what is someone as hella cute as you doing here at Blackwell?" Rachel asked the brunette.

_She thinks I'm cute? Do they both think tha- Ahhh, stop Max. Don't buy into the hype._

"Well, I mostly came here for Mr. Watts. I heard his art classes are the best in the country," Max answered, a slight spurt of adrenaline shooting through her body.

_Damn, I really like art and drawing way too much. That makes me wonder..._

"How about you guys?"

"Err.. well.. I'm not really the artist type, but even I can tell his classes are really good. Someone like you will love it here," Chloe said. Rachel nodded.

"If I can offer my most humble opinion, the classes are.. fire. But I'd rather sit and get drawn, instead of swinging the pencil around myself," The blonde argued, gesturing the pencil swinging with her hand.

Max's face flushed. "T-That's pretty cool."

Rachel and Chloe exchanged another look of mischief. Rachel tilted her head, and Chloe just nodded. Max didn't even seem to notice at all, since her mind was still hard at work with her image of Rachel sitting on a chair, without any clothes on her body.

"Hey, I just wondered. We're getting along so well, how about I'll invite you to my little party in my room tomorrow night? It's starting around 7," Rachel asked, grinning. Max looked up at her, eyes wide.

_Party?_

"Hell yeah, Max! You have to come! You bring the booty, and we bring the booze!" Chloe exclaimed excitedly, flinging her arm around Rachel's shoulder. "So? What do you think Max? You in?" Rachel said expectantly, now both of them looking at Max with glee.

"S-Sure. That sounds h- **hella** cool." Max answered shyly.

Chloe sprung up, her mouth shaping a big oval, shaking Rachel violently. "Oh shit Rachel! We're already such a good bad influence on her! Fuck yes!"

Max just chuckled.

"Already part of the pack," Rachel said with an open mouthed smile, she put her hand on Max's back and walked with her for a few steps, leaned in closer, and whispered into the brunette's ear.

"No boys allowed."

Max's ear got way redder than the one Rachel didn't just whisper into, the sensation of Rachel's breath still lingering on her ear and neck.

Max didn't look up, and just continued staggering towards her room in a gaze, not noticing that Rachel stopped walking.

Chloe and Rachel looked at each other, chuckled, and watched Max stumble into her room, which made them chuckle even harder.

"She's so cute, you should ask her out," Rachel whispered.

"Dude, I know! Did you see her freckles?? Uber cute!" Chloe asked, her eyebrows raised. Rachel nodded with a smile.

"Tomorrow night will be killer!" Chloe added, skipping towards Rachel's room.

"You know it," Rachel said. "By the way, what happened there with Dana?" The blonde added.

Chloe groaned, rolling her eyes.

"You won't believe this.."

.

.

.

_Wowser..._

...

Max sat on her bed, staring at the carpet beneath her.

_I can't believe I managed to talk to four of my dorm mates and made friends with, well, three of them (excluding Victoria. For now..). Amazeballs. I don't think I could do this again If someone reversed time right now. Oh, and of course I'm invited to a party on my first day at Blackwell, no biggie. Just throwing it down with two beauties, tomorrow. Wait. Will other people be there too? Hellooo anxiety, missed you xoxo.  
_

Max clutched her sketchbook tightly to her chest.

 _Not yet..._ Max thought.

In all this madness, Max forgot she had to take care of some leftover bureaucratic stuff because of her transfer.

"Shit!" Max exclaimed. After scrambling for her required paperwork, she took off.

* * *

_We're not actually drawing anything today, I think. At least that's what the E-mail from Mr. Watts said._

Max overcame a sense of nervousness, and a sinking feeling in her stomach. Fuck, do I actually have to go to the bathroom? Max thought.

"Yo!" a voice said from behind, with a hand laying on Max's shoulder.

"Oh, hey Chloe," Max answered after turning her head.

Chloe walked besides Max towards the classroom. The brunette noticed Chloe's small, black backpack, with cool looking pins on them. Max recognized one of them as the Death Note logo.

"Death Note, huh?" Max said, pointing to said pin.

"Hm? Oh, yeah. Love that show, binged it in one day back then. "One day? Holy shit."

There were almost no other students in the hallway anymore, except for a few who were puzzled to see Chloe with someone like Max, who they have never seen before. Chloe shot them a quick glance, which made them look away almost instantly. Max didn't pick up on this at all.

Max stepped into the classroom after Chloe. Everyone was already seated, doing their own thing. Some were sketching, some were scrambling through their bags, others were on their phones. Max kept walking behind Chloe, until the blue haired girl seated herself between Rachel and a vacant seat in the back of the class.

Rachel looked up from her phone, after giving Chloe a fist bump without even looking, she winked at Max with a sly grin.

"Hey Max, good to see you again." the blonde said.

Anyone who didn't already looked at Max after she walked in, was now very interested in how the new transfer student and the most popular girl in school seemed to know each other already. You could let a pin drop, and hear it without problem.

"Hey Rachel," Max said with a nervous smile. "Good to see you too."

While sitting down, Max looked over to Kate who was sitting in front of Rachel and nodded with a smile, which Kate returned. When she looked to her left, she saw Chloe sitting behind Victoria, trying her best

to quarrel with Victoria to still her thirst for entertainment before class. Sometimes Chloe got this look in her eyes which Max couldn't quite grasp the meaning of, but she knew she would soon figure it out.

The class went almost silent, after a woman in a white shirt walked into class. Under her right arm, she carried what looked like a bunch of slips of paper squished into a big blue folder. Principal Wells walked in just after the woman reached the teacher's desk, resulting in the class's murmur.

_What's going on?_

"Everyone, calm down," Wells said, holding his hand up at hip level. "I know you expected Mr. Watts for today's class as usual, but unfortunately he will not be with us from today onward."

 _What??_ Max thought, almost jumping out of her chair, she gazed forward with wide eyes and her eyebrows raised. Even Chloe, who is usually playing with her phone, was sitting upright and paying full attention to what unfolded in front.

"What do you mean, 'from today onward'?!" Victoria shouted out, visibly angered and shocked.

"I know that this comes as a shock to everyone, since Mr. Watts was a big reason why some of you joined Blackwell Academy in the first place, and our school continued to maintain such a high rating among high school art programs in the country. It wasn't a secret that Mr. Watts was highly sought after as one of the most skilled draftsmen and painter in the world, which made it hard for the board as well as our financial supporters, to keep him. After a period of discussions over the last week, Mr. Watts had decided to accept a lead visual development position at Pixar Animation Studios in Burbank, CA."

Another wave of silence washed over the classroom after Wells finished his explanation, followed with people starting heated discussions with each other, especially in the front of the class where the most passionate students seemed to sit together.

Max's mind was empty.

.

_._

_W-Wha- You must be fucking kidding me._

Chloe and Rachel exchanged a look of surprise, both of them looking at Max right after. "Shit Max, this sucks so hard. I'm sorry," Chloe said, a genuine look of compassion sitting on her face. Rachel nodded in agreement with Chloe. "Yeah, this fucking blows."

"It does. Big time," Max answered without thinking, clutching her head in the process. Kate turned slightly towards the brunette with a somber expression.

Principal Wells once again tried to calm the angered students down.

"Why did he quit without telling us first though??" someone in front of Victoria asked.

"Well, the recruiter told us specifically they wanted Mr. Watts to fly down to their studio facilities as soon as possible, mentioning they wanted him to lead their team for a film that would go into production right when he'd arrived. Some of you might already know this, but Mr. Watts was here under some "special" terms and conditions, which gave him a lot more freedom contract wise. This of course was one of the requirements he stated, when we hired him in the first place." Principal Wells explained.

"Great," Victoria hissed, folding her arms and crossing her legs.

"The teaching staff, as well as the board was very sad to see Mr. Watts leave so abruptly, and I'm sure a big part of the student body will share that feeling. But, we have to move on now, and most importantly look for a suitable replacement;" Wells said, eliciting a loud scoff from Victoria.

"I know It's difficult to accept, but until the board and I decide how we'll move forward from here, Ms. Cole will be your art teacher starting from today," Principal Wells added, gesturing proudly to his left.

Ms. Cole waved towards the class who was now stunned with the new situation they were faced with.

_No, no, no, no, no. This can't be freaking happening. Come on!_

After Principal Wells left the room, and furthermore introducing the new art teacher, everyone was discussing about Mr. Watts's decision.

Ms. Cole took a step forward.

"Okay, so... Let's leave this behind us, and try to get into a fresh mindset. These are very special circumstances, and of course I tried my absolute best to create a syllabus where everyone can get better, explore and create freely without any barriers.

* * *

Ms. Cole's first class ended with the last few students introducing themselves to her, and a few encouraging, and also promising words from the new art teacher.

Still, this wasn't what Max expected when she signed up for Blackwell. After almost everyone left the class, Max saw Victoria storm out in a hurry.

_This must be hard for her too, I could tell she's really passionate about this stuff. Same as me, I guess._

Kate patted Max on the shoulder and left without saying a word.

Chloe and Rachel looked at each other in frustration, watching Max slouch in her seat, her head down, she fumbles with her thumbs in a daze. Chloe made a gesture with her head towards the door, which Max didn't see. The blue haired girl and Rachel both stood up and hurried outside.

"Man, Max is really out of it," Chloe said.

"I mean, I get it. She did tell us he was the only reason she came here for.." Rachel answered, a genuine look of worry on her face.

"Yeah, this sucks ass Rachel."

"I know. So, what're we gonna do about it?"

Chloe bit on her nails. Suddenly Chloe jumped, her eyes going wide. Rachel watched her with her arms folded, not fazed by Chloe's sudden outburst of excitement.

"Dude! We should totally buy her some drawing supplies. You know, some charcoal pencils, gouache tubes, stuff like that!" Chloe said, holding Rachel's arm. Rachel walked around the punk girl in a half circle.

"Mhm. This could work," The blonde agreed.

"Yeah it hella could! It's not a private lesson with Mr. Watts or something, but-" Chloe stopped herself mid sentences.

"No, Chloe. We can't ask the world famous, now extremely busy and expensive Jeff Watts to give Max a 1-on-1 art lesson," Rachel answered, her amused look directed towards the classroom's door.

"Aww.." Chloe answered, her shoulders falling down in an exaggerated manner.

"But.." Rachel added. "We could go right now, buy the stuff and give her that stuff tomorrow at the party."

Chloe's eyes lighted up. "That'll cheer her up for sure! Fuck yeah, we're such good friends," Chloe whispered, giving the sly blonde a high five.

They noticed Max stepping out of the classroom, and turned around quickly.

"Hey Max!" Chloe said, half cheery, half concerned. Max walked slowly, her gaze on the floor and her brows furrowed. The brunette looked up to her new friends Rachel and Chloe with a slightly forced smile.

"Hey guys.. What's up?" Max asked. Her mind was clearly somewhere else, which Rachel and Chloe of course picked up on instantly.

"Neerthing. Just hanging out," Chloe said, trying with all her might to contain her giggle. Rachel elbowed the blue haired girl in the side.

"Oww!" Chloe yelped.

"Max, you're still in for the party tomorrow, right? Let's just party this shit off," Rachel said in a playful manner, one hand on her hip.

_Oh right, the party._

Max looked at them sheepishly. "Of course. I-I'll be there. 7, right?" Max asked. "Hell yeah!" Chloe said, holding out her fist for Max to bump. _  
_

The brunette looked at Chloe's fist for a second, but raised her hand to bump her anyways. Chloe grabbed hold of Max's fist, turned her body so now she was behind Max, holding her with both of her arms. Max was now facing Rachel, who looked her in the eyes slyly.

"Ch-Chlo- What are you guys d-" Max said, surprised by Chloe's sudden action, she got cut off by Rachel charging with both of her hands to her sides.

"Ahhahahaha! S-Sto.. Hahahah! Guys! Rachel I can't.. Hahaha!" Max laughed uncontrollably, squirming around in Chloe's tight but non-restrictive grip. Rachel stopped after just a few seconds to let the girl breathe, and motioned to start up again.

"No! No! Stop, okay! No more!" Max almost yelled under a laughing breath.

"No more sulking?" Rachel asked, making a frightening gesture with her fingers.

"N-No more sulking!" Max answered hastily, a laughing sigh under her breath.

Chloe let go of Max, walked around her to stand where Rachel stood. The punk noticed Max's shirt got tucked upward a bit by squirming around so much, and blushed slightly.

"Y-Your, uhh.." Chloe said, her voice almost disappearing at the end. Max's look changed from amusement to confusion, which made Rachel giggle a bit. "We totally got you." The blonde said.

Max looked down, seeing her pale skin exposed. With a rushed motion she tugged her pink doe shirt down, her face turning a deep shade of red.

"Did you look?" She looked up to Chloe.

"Yes," Chloe answered sternly, which made Rachel laugh out loud. Chloe earned herself a playful honey punch on the shoulder from a grin-pouting Max, which made Chloe's heart flutter. Still composing herself, Max looked around. The other classes were already done for a few minutes and nobody was seen in the hallways.

_The others are probably back in the dorm, giving the bad news to friends and family._

"So.. you guys wanna head to the dorms now? This was the last class for today, right?" Max asked, brushing her hair behind her ear. Chloe seemed to stare, which Rachel saw as a potential threat to their 'Cheering up Max' plan.

"We would, but we still have some errands to run. See you later?" Rachel answered already stepping towards the door, pulling Chloe with her.

"Y-Yeah, errands. S-See ya Maximus!" Chloe said, with a small wave towards Max. "Smooth," Rachel whispered.

Max waved the two girls goodbye, and walked in the opposite direction towards the main exit.

Chloe had a giddy jump in her step.

"This was so... hot," Chloe said excitedly. Rachel chuckled.

"What was? The tickling, her exposed skin, or when she tugged her hair behind her ears?" Rachel asked, making grand gestures to mock Chloe.

"You suck! But.. All of them," Chloe answered, clearly flustered.

"Oh boy, you're so head over heels for her."

"I know.." Chloe sighed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'The burden we can't erase' - Chapter 3 - Preview:
> 
> **"Max? What the fuck did you just say?" Chloe said, her voice wavering.  
>  Max stood up slowly, trying not to further freak out Chloe.  
> "It's okay, Chloe. I-I just.. It was a guess. Let me explai-" Max answered, grasping for words.  
> Chloe ran towards her door, stumbling in the process.**


End file.
